Falenan Civil War
by Knight of Sapphire
Summary: An AU spin-off of Suikoden V. A fated war over the struggle of the Sun Rune has begun. Unable to fight alongside the 108 stars of destiny, Hero IV watches on as battles and truths unfold.
1. Chapter 1 Part I

**This is an AU story of Suikoden V. I decided to put Hero IV as a major character here because I felt it would be more interesting that way. Many thanks to DarkAngelScythe for giving me key suggestions for the story's plot (we're online pals). And also, many thanks to WraithRune and Jonathan Priest for their fantastic stories, Silent Watcher and War of the Runes: they gave me inspirations.**

**Before the Beginning (Part I)**

The corridors and halls of the Sun Palace were quiet to almost silent. It had been a day since Queen Arshtat sent her son, Prince Freyjadour, and her sister, Lady Sialeed, to investigate the current situation in Lord Lake. The palace maids and guards knew very well that the report concerning the scorched, forsaken town will not be pleasant at all. And so they kept quiet, careful not to gossip about matters that might anger the Queen and the nobles in public.

Lazlo frowned at the eerie silence around him. He was leaning on the wall of the Guard Room with his arms crossed, waiting to be summoned by the Commander of the Queen's Knights to his office._ What could the Commander possibly want to talk with me about_? he wondered. _It must be something important. Otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to summon someone like me here in private_.

"Lazlo," a hoarse voice called out from the other room.

Lazlo straightened up and walked toward the door to the office. He pushed the door open and saw Ferid, the Commander of the Queen's Knights and husband to Queen Arshtat, sitting behind his desk, a paper in front of him and a quill in hand. "You called, Your Majesty?" he asked.

Ferid – Commander Ferid – cracked a smile. "Your teacher, Franze, have told me many great things about you," he said and put his quill down. "Guess what?" His grin widened. "You're promoted."

The expression on Lazlo's face quickly turned to surprise. "Me, Your Majesty?" he asked, his eyes widening. "But I'm only nineteen."

Ferid nodded. "I know full well that you are _too_ young to be a Queen's Knight, Lazlo," he said, "but your skills in swordsmanship and rune magic are _too_ valuable to be wasted as a Queen's Knight's apprentice." He chuckled and then added, "And don't worry about age. The Lady Miakis, my daughter's bodyguard, was also nineteen when she became a Queen's Knight."

"And the reason behind my promotion is?" he asked suspiciously.

"I knew you might ask. Her Majesty needs another Queen's Knight. The maximum number for members is nine, but there are only seven of us, including me. With you as an addition, that makes eight. Eight knights are better than seven when you think about it."

_That's not exactly a lie_, he observed critically, _but it's still a lie nonetheless. _He smiled and nodded curtly. "I'm honored to able to serve as a Queen's Knight, Commander," he said. Lie or not, he couldn't let this opportunity slip away so easily: being a Queen's Knight does have its certain advantages after all.

Ferid grinned. "Good," he said cheerfully. "Your knighting ceremony will take place this evening. Any more questions you'd like to ask?" There was a pressing note in his voice.

He thought about it for a moment. "Well…" he said almost hesitantly, "I do have a few more questions to ask."

"Then ask away," Ferid offered.

"Why did you choose me?" Lazlo asked curiously. "How do you know I can be trusted? What makes you so sure I won't betray you and the Queen?"

He expected Ferid to throw a fit, but the calm expression on the Commander's face plainly said he wasn't the least bit surprised. "Simple," he answered. "It's because you remind me of my son."

His answer caught him by surprise. "That's it?" Lazlo asked incredulously.

"Not very much, but a little bit." Ferid's kind face then turned deadly serious. "However," he added warningly, "I certainly won't forgive if you double-cross us. And I'm sure Falena won't either. You will be facing immediate execution should you ever betray the Queen." He smiled a mischievous smile. "Understand?"

_The fact that he's threatening me like this must mean he doesn't trust me that much after all_, Lazlo thought. _Oh well. It's not like I need his complete trust nor Queen's for that matter. _He bowed politely and then spoke in a serious voice. "I understand, Commander."

"Of course you do." Ferid went back to writing his paper. "You're dismissed. Oh, and don't forget to wear your new uniform for your knighting ceremony. I've already sent a messenger to deliver it for you. Be sure you arrive by sunset."

Lazlo bowed politely one more time and exited the office. Even after he shut the door behind him, he could still hear the faint whispers of Ferid muttering to himself. "Franze was right. That Lazlo is a strange kid."

He smiled. _You have no idea how true that is._

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Inside her bedroom, Lymsleia, Crown Princess of the Queendom of Falena and jewel of the Falenas Household, screamed in surrender and dropped her head on the history book she had been reading. "I give up," she complained. "I can't do this anymore. It's too boring here without brother!"

"Princess!" Miakis, her bodyguard and a fully fledged Queen's Knight, gasped in mocking surprise. "I never knew you were so…so…lonely."

"Be quiet, Miakis." Lymsleia slammed the book shut and crossed her arms. "I'm really bored right now," she said irritably. "I need to be entertained."

Miakis chuckled. "You know, Princess," she told the younger girl, "you're sounding more and more like a spoiled brat than usual."

"I can't help it alright? Brother is far away and I really miss him." She sniffed. "And I'm really worried for him too."

"Don't worry, Princess," the Queen's Knight assured her. "Lyon's there to protect him."

"What if he gets sick?"

"Lady Sialeed will know how to take care of the prince if he gets sick. And they have an expert doctor aboard the ship, too."

"Humph." Lymsleia headed for the door. "I'm going for a walk," she announced. "Hurry up, Miakis."

"Yes yes, Princess," Miakis sighed.

The two were strolling through the corridors of the east wing area when they heard voices echoing from the other side of the corridor.

"How shameful," a male voice said. "You – A Queen's Knight? Bah!"

"There's no way we nobles will let you, a mere kitchen boy, become a Queen's Knight," another male voice said sneeringly. "My father has close ties with the royal family you see. He'll definitely convince the Queen to change her mind. So why don't you go back to scrubbing dishes? Your existence is fouling our majestic Sun Palace."

"What are they talking about?" Miakis whispered, her eyes narrowing.

"Hey hey...What's your name again?" the other male voice asked mockingly. "Lazlo was it? What a hilarious name! Hahaha!"

"That's it!" Lymsleia hissed. Angrily, she marched to face the two harassing speakers. "Hey you chicken heads!" she shouted. "What do you think you're both doing?!"

The culprits, two young men wearing clothes that symbolized nobility, jumped in surprise. When they saw her and Miakis, their eyes widened in horror and their faces paled considerably. Their victim, a brown-haired young man clad in breeches and a shirt with a red bandana tied around his forehead, however, stared at Lymselia not with horror, but with a look of total surprise on his face.

"Your Highness," one of the young noblemen said nervously, bowing. "We didn't know you were here."

"Leave the palace," she told them coldly. "The sight of you both is hurting my eyes."

"But—"

"You better listen to the Princess, little boys," Miakis warned, her face clouded with evil intent. She slowly drew out her daggers. "Otherwise I will throw both your corpses into the Feitas River."

The two fled after that.

"Are you alright?" Lymsleia asked.

Deep blue eyes widening, the young man quickly bowed. "I'm fine, Your Highness."

"Why were they cornering you?" Miakis asked.

The young man opened his mouth to answer her question, but his voice was drowned by a familiar, booming voice. "Lym, Miakis! There you are!"

Lymsleia turned her head to see her father, Ferid Falenas, the Commander of the Queen's Knights, walking toward them. "What's going on?" he asked curiously. "I heard Lym shouting something about 'chicken-heads' so I came to investigate." He noticed the young man. "Why are you still here, Lazlo?"

"You know him?" she asked.

"Of course I know him. I was the one who had summoned him to my office half an hour ago." He looked critically at the young man called Lazlo. "So?" he asked. "Why are you still here?"

"Uh—"

"He was being harassed by two noblemen, Commander," Miakis explained, quickly coming to Lazlo's defense. "We caught them attacking him with prejudiced lines like 'we nobles will not allow you to become a Queen's Knight'."

"I see." Ferid's face softened. "I apologize for acting suspicious," he said apologetically to him. "You didn't take it personally did you?"

Lazlo shook his head.

"The nobles are becoming haughtier these days," Ferid sighed, shaking his head. "But I never expected them to act that way in public, especially inside the Sun Palace." He smiled. "I see you've met my daughter and her bodyguard, Miakis."

Miakis made a forced cough. "Ahem."

Ferid chuckled. "I almost forgot. Lym, Miakis," he told them, "this young man is Lazlo. He's our newest recruit."

"It is an honor to meet you both, Your Highness and Lady Miakis," Lazlo said, bowing politely.

"Wait," Miakis interrupted. "You're the new Queen's Knight Ferid has been talking about?"

It was Ferid who answered her question. "Well yeah." He cocked an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem?"

"Of course not, but the nobles do."

"Ugh, how many times do I have to tell you, Miakis? The only ones who can decide who will be a Queen's Knight are me and Queen Arshtat. The Senate and nobles can complain all they want, but the Her Majesty's protection is MY responsibility."

"But," Lymsleia said worriedly, "won't your popularity go down, Father? The Senate is already displeased enough when you brought George here."

"They will shut their mouths up when they see Lazlo's skills in battle after the knighting ceremony."

"What did you say?" Lazlo asked suddenly, his eyes widening.

"Didn't I tell you? After you've officially become a Queen's Knight, you will have to duel one of our current members. It doesn't matter if you lose, but you have to show at least one or two of your skills as proof you are fit to be a Queen's Knight." He paused. "Will that be a problem?"

Lazlo shook his head. "No," he answered. "I'll do my best, sir." There was no trace of false modesty in his voice when he said that.

"Good. Now go back and practice with Franze to get ready for the duel," Ferid ordered. "Don't forget to come back here by sunset, too."

Lazlo bowed politely one more time and left.

After he was gone, Miakis looked queerly at Ferid. "Dueling?"

He shrugged. "It was the only thing I could think up of, alright? If that boy doesn't prove his worth then the nobles will keep harassing him nonstop."

Lymsleia nodded in agreement. "He's right, Miakis. Besides" – an evil grin touched her mouth– "I can't wait to see the look of utter disappointment on those chicken-heads' faces." She laughed coldly.

"Chicken-heads?" Ferid looked quizzically at Miakis.

She shrugged. "Her word, not mine."

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Zerase, the Bearer of Stars and a powerful sorceress, stared blankly at the empty platform where the statue containing the sealed Dawn Rune had once stood. She touched the black-stone earring attached to her right ear with her fingers and rubbed it gently. "Lazlo," she said calmly. "How is the current situation?"

_Everything is still the same, Zerase_, a male voice that only she could hear replied. _I do have one, good news though._

"What is it?"

_I've been promoted to a Queen's Knight. I'll be able to monitor the Sun Rune closely now._

"Keep a fair distance," Zerase told him_. _"If the Sun Rune clashes with the Rune of Punishment, the level of destruction will double. It is already troublesome enough that I have to watch over one True Rune."

_Then what do you want me to do?_

"Prevent the two True Runes from clashing at all cost," she told him firmly. "You may protect yourself from the Sun Rune with the Rune of Punishment, but that is as far as you can go."

_So you expect me to do nothing the next time the Sun Rune goes out of control?!_

Her reply was automatic "Yes. Remember – your duty is to monitor the Sun Rune, nothing more and nothing less. Leave the task of stopping the Sun Rune to the others."

_What others?_

"Look up at the night sky and you will see the answer," Zerase said. Without waiting for a response, she let go of the dark stone and the connection broke off, ending their conversation.

_**The fated war that shall change the course of Destiny has begun…**_

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**I noticed not many people know the origins and meanings behind the names of most characters, especially Lazlo's. Here are the translations for the Suikoden IV and V heroes:**

**Lazlo – another name for Ladislas. It is of Slavic origin, and its meaning is "glorious rule". This was a royal name used in medieval Hungary. **

**Freyjadour – is of Scandinavian origin, and its meaning is "lord, exalted one". In Norse mythology, Frey is the fertility god (maybe that's way he looks so feminine), and also the most handsome of all deities. **


	2. Chapter 1 Part II

**Before The Beginning (Part II)**

It was sunset in the city of Sol-Falena when the group of three soldiers, all wearing armors that bore the symbol of the Royal Guard, made their way down through the crowded streets of the city. Following not far behind them were two men, one young-looking and the other middle-aged. Chattering voices of the townspeople hushed to soft murmurs as their eyes fell on the younger man.

"Is that really him?" a man muttered to the woman next to him. "Don't you think he's a bit too young for that kind of responsibility?"

"He's at the right age, apparently," the woman told him back. "Remember – the Lady Miakis was also nineteen when she became a Queen's Knight."

Lazlo grimaced and tugged the collar of his new Queen's Knight's uniform. All that whispering and pointing were beginning to irritate him. He suddenly wished the townspeople would just mind their own business.

His training instructor, Franze, noticed his uneasiness and chuckled. "Feeling nervous already, eh?" A stocky man with gray hair and a hawk-like face, he looked very much like a noble predator – strong and dignified. He was dressed neatly in a white shirt, brown silk tunic and hose, and polished boots. A sheathed sword could be seen attached to his belt.

Lazlo made a forced smile. "Yeah," he said. "I've _never_ attracted this much attention before in my life." That was a total lie.

"Then why not enjoy the moment while it lasts?" Franze suggested. "Most of the townspeople here are staring at you with awe and admiration. You should feel honored at the least."

Lazlo sighed. He knew that was coming. That last sentence was precisely the reason why he felt uncomfortable at all the attention he was receiving in the first place. These people had no idea that the young man they were staring at was a fake, an imposter. He didn't deserve their respect, not after all the lies and deceptions he had committed in order to forcefully put himself into the position he was in now.

"You're right," he admitted finally. "I should feel honored. However," he said in an almost empathetic voice, "I certainly won't be receiving any admiring looks from the nobles though."

"Do you really care what they think of you that much?"

He shrugged. "Well, not at all, I guess" – a sly smile crossed his mouth – "but it's still kind of irritating with all the glaring and cursing behind my back."

Franze chuckled. "You'll get used to them in time."

As they wandered deeper into the city, Lazlo was again amazed by the beautiful scenery of the place. The outside of the houses were made of stone and were standard looking, but exterior decorations such as plants and flowers transformed them into works of art. Trees were planted along the streets to act as ornaments, and the crystal clear waters of the Feitas River flowed ever-so-gracefully through the canals. Though he had been living here for almost a year and a half now, Lazlo was still struck by the unique splendor of capital city of the Queendom of Falena.

The Sun Palace came into view as they reached the front pathway that lead to it. Two guards were posted at the entrance doors. When they saw the approaching group, they jumped to attention and pushed the doors open.

The captain of the guards who had escorted them turned around. "This is where we part ways." He looked at Lazlo squarely in the face and flashed a salute. "I wish you the best of luck in your duel, Sir Lazlo," he said and moved aside to let them pass. The other two soldiers copied their captain's salute and too moved aside.

Lazlo nodded. "Thank you."

"Here we go," Franze said as they both entered the sanctuary of the Falenan Royal Family.

The Sun Palace's audience chamber was a great, vaulted hall with sculptured buttresses soaring upward along the walls. Tall, narrow windows rose between the buttresses, penetrated by the faint, reddish-orange light of the setting sun. A handful of lords and ladies were there; when they saw Lazlo their faces hardened but they said nothing. The floor was polished marble, and on the carpeted stone platform at the far end stood the two thrones of the royal queen and crown princess of Falena.

Queen Arshtat of Falena was a woman of dignity, authority and majestic beauty. She was clad in the customary queen's gown and she wore her large, gold crown on top of her long, heavily adorned silver hair. Her eyes were sky-blue and her framed face spoke volumes of angelic divinity. Beside her in the other throne was Princess Lymsleia, the feisty little brown-haired girl whom Lazlo had met earlier that afternoon.

Ferid was also there, standing in his place at the left of Arshtat's throne. Five Queen's Knights, the Lady Miakis included, stood in a line formation at the right side of the carpeted platform. Like everyone else in the room, their eyes too were on Lazlo, watching his every move, assessing, evaluating his posture, his manner.

As soon as they entered the chamber, the two bowed politely. Following that, Franze immediately took his place within the group of nobles, leaving Lazlo as the center of attention. Now alone, he walked on toward the two thrones, his head held high and his expression serious. He stopped courteously when the royal queen rose from her throne.

"Kneel," she ordered and he obeyed.

Ferid pulled out a gleaming silver sword and moved down to position himself in front of him. He lifted his sword high above his head, the point to the sky.

"I, Commander of the Queen's Knights, Grand General of the Falenan Army and Husband to Her Majesty Queen Arshtat of Falena, do hereby bestow upon you, Lazlo Adarshan, the title of Queen's Knight," he said, his voice bellowing across the chamber.

He smiled down at Lazlo and gently touched the flat side of the sword to one of his shoulders. Then he lifted it over his head and touched it to the other. Lazlo bowed his head as he did this, knowing that it was the proper and solemn thing to do.

"Stand," Ferid commanded. "Now turn and face your opponent!"

Lazlo did as he was told, maintaining his calm expression as he moved along the carpeted pathway toward his opponent, the blonde-haired Queen's Knight, the one called Sir Kyle.

He stopped when another Queen's Knight, Sir Galleon, a solid-looking elderly man who wielded a large halberd for his weapon, stepped between them. "The combatants may draw out their swords."

Lazlo slowly unsheathed his dual swords as Kyle drew out his blade. At the same time as they did this, all the nobles in the chamber quickly moved as far away from the two warriors as they possibly could while the remaining Queen's Knights stood protectively in front of the royal family. Sir Galleon turned around and walked away to join the audience at the right side of the chamber and turned around again.

"The use of rune magic is forbidden. The duel ends when one of the combatants manages to unarm his opponent," Galleon's voice bellowed. "Ready?" He looked penetratingly at Kyle, then at Lazlo. "Begin!"

Kyle flashed a quick grin and a second later, he charged toward his opponent, his blade ready to slice. Lazlo jumped high into the air in the form of a somersault in time to avoid the attack and landed gracefully a few feet away. Sudden silence fell over the audience chamber followed by an eruption of murmurs from the nobles and their ladies.

"Nice jump," Kyle remarked, shaking away his surprise. He had thought the newcomer would block his attack. "Ever considered joining the circus before? You'd make a great acrobat."

Lazlo turned around and grinned. "Been there, done that."

After that, he ran toward his opponent and swung a sword at him. Kyle easily blocked his attack. "Is that all?" the blond-haired man taunted and pushed him back. "A basic technique like that isn't going to beat me." Ignoring his words, Lazlo swung his other sword at him. Again his attack was blocked. He attacked again and again, but Queen's Knight still managed to block all of his attacks without even breaking a sweat.

"Now it's my turn," Kyle said.

He thrust the point of his blade forward, but Lazlo jumped back agilely. "Is evading all you can do?" he asked almost conversationally. "You know, that won't make you a good warrior, much less a Queen's Knight."

Lazlo easily avoided an attack aimed at his side. "You haven't seen what I can do yet, Sir Kyle," he said quietly, his deep-blue eyes following the movements of Kyle's blade.

"Really? Then prove it!"

Kyle drove forward suddenly, his sword extended, but Lazlo side-stepped the lunge, bent down and kicked out his foot. Kyle grunted as the younger man's foot caught him in the side. He fell, but rolled quickly across the floor and came back up to his feet, his stance wide and his sword moving slowly in the air in front of him.

Lazlo frowned. "I thought not," he said in a dismayed tone.

Kyle gave a blood-curling battle cry and swung his sword downwards. Lazlo blocked it with his duals swords. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kyle's foot lashed out, aiming at his groin. He jumped back agilely and glared at him.

Kyle grinned slyly. "Afraid of getting hurt, are you?" he taunted.

Lazlo didn't hear him. Or rather, he didn't pay attention to him. Instead, he flicked his eyes at the audience to his right and then at the rest to his left. All of the nobles, excluding the moderate ones like Franze, had unconcealed looks of satisfaction plastered on their faces. It was to be expected. After all, he had been evading Kyle's attacks the whole time since the duel started. Now they all thought he was nothing but a coward, utterly unfit to become a Queen's Knight. Lazlo tilted his head down to hide his smile. Everything was happening exactly according to his plan.

Ferid was the only one who noticed Lazlo's smile. "Interesting…," he mused, his dark-eyes wide with interest. "What's that boy up to, I wonder?"

_**Three…**_

Lazlo still hadn't moved. Miakis frowned slightly. "The battle isn't over yet," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "Is he planning on giving up already?"

_**Two…**_

Lymsleia fidgeted in her seat. "Mother—" she said nervously.

"Hush, Lym," Queen Arshtat told her.

_**One…**_

"Hey," Kyle called out, his voice suspicious. "What are you doing?"

_**Now!!**_

Lazlo dashed forward, as quickly as lighting. Like a whirlwind, he spun around and swung his left sword at his opponent. Kyle saw this and hastily blocked his attack. He flinched as the full impact of the force collided with his blade. Lazlo spun again and struck another blow at Kyle's defense with his other sword, its force as deadly as the one before. His ferocious spinning attacks continued on without pausing and left Kyle absolutely helpless with no chance of striking back.

Miakis felt her eyes beginning to bulge. Lazlo's movements were subtle and fluid. His newly-made Queen's Knight's uniform flared just as he whirled, and his swords wove deadly, killing patterns in the air. Sparks flew as sword met sword and the sound of steel echoed in the audience chamber like a death bell. Miakis swallowed hard and discovered that she had almost stopped breathing.

To everyone's surprise, Lazlo's attacks ended quite suddenly. He then turned around and somersaulted a fair distance away from Kyle. As soon as he landed, however, he immediately spun around and threw his right sword.

The sword spun like a death-wheel as it tore the air, heading straight toward Kyle's head.

"LOOK OUT!!" Miakis screamed in horror.

But Kyle had already reacted. He drew up his sword and a split second later, Lazlo's sword hit his. The sound of vibrating steel erupted as the two swords came into contact with each other, and then Lazlo's sword went bouncing and skittering along the floor.

The worse was over, or so Kyle had thought. The next thing he knew was that there was a dark-gleaming blade touching the side his neck. He gulped and realized Lazlo was standing behind him.

"It's over," Lazlo said triumphantly. His mouth curled into a half-smile. "I told you already, didn't I? That you haven't seen what I can do yet? Now you know."

There was silence.

But then Galleon's voice shattered that silence. "Sir Kyle is unable to battle!" he boomed. "The winner is Sir Lazlo!!"

Queen Arshtat rose up from her throne and clapped her hands alongside Ferid, a congratulating smile present on her framed face. Lymsleia too rose up and did the same. The royal family's clapping triggered the nobles to follow their lead; however Ferid noticed there was reluctance in their clapping. Knowing full well the reason behind that reluctance, he covered his mouth to hide a sly smile.

"He totally overpowered me, guys," Kyle said as he and Galleon rejoined with the rest of the knights. "I never thought he was that strong."

"Eh?" Miakis looked at him, surprised. "Didn't he beat you because he was too fast?"

"That's one reason why I lost, but—" Kyle showed Miakis his sword. "Look at this."

Miakis examined it and frowned. "What's wrong with it?"

Kyle took hold of the top of the blade and gently pushed it. It snapped almost immediately.

"That Lazlo is no ordinary kid," Kyle said, showing his broken sword at a shocked Miakis, Galleon and two other Queen's Knights, Alenia and Zahhak. "One more hit, and I would've been done for. He probably already knew it was going to break."

Seeing the broken blade, Ferid laughed. "Now you know why I recruited him," he told them. "The boy has a lot of potential. Who knows what other tricks he still might be hiding under his sleeve…" With a grin, he then added, "I simply can't wait to tell this to George when he gets back."

"You did it!" Franze shouted as he approached Lazlo. "What excellent display of swordsmanship! I knew you were great, but that was just amazing!"

"I had a lot of practice, that's all," Lazlo said with an innocent shrug. "I have to admit, the duel was—"

_This is no time to be celebrating! _a cold, female voice rang in his ears._ Focus on your mission!_

"What's wrong?"

Lazlo shook his head. "It's nothing." He then directed his attention to Queen Arshtat, who was talking to her daughter. His eyes were grim as he stared at the runic symbol on the queen's forehead, the symbol of the True Rune that governs the Power of Light, the Sun Rune. _This is it_, he thought with a heavy heart. _There is no turning back now_…

OoOoO

**Phew. I must say, this was my hardest chapter yet. I sincerely apologize for the late update. Ideas don't just snap out of the blue; I had to brainstorm a lot to shape all the ideas into one chapter. Describing the battle scene was also very challenging, but since Suikoden V is an action-genre game, I guarantee you'll be seeing of battles. **

**Okay, that's enough of my ramblings now! I'll try to update the next chapter soon. Please do review. It gives writers like myself encouragement and motivation. Criticisms are welcome, but no flames please.**

**Introduced OCs:**

**Franze – he is Lazlo's training instructor. He was also one who taught Alenia and Miakis when they were still apprentices (this will be explained in laterchapters).**

_**Teaser:**_

_**Miakis: What's the matter, Princess?**_

**_Jeane: So we meet again, Lazlo. Tee-hee_**

_**Lymsleia: That blonde-haired man over there. The one wearing the black armour with two large horns rising out of his helmet...**_

_**Lazlo: This feeling...Could it be the Sun Rune?**_

_**Freyjadour: I'm back, Lym.**_

**See you in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 2

**The Prince of Falena**

_The night was the most terrible night he had ever seen. Fire scorched throughout the Grassland, burning everything it touched into nothing more than ashes. Animals ran away as quickly as they could from the fire, but escaping was futile: most of them got caught up in the flames, some suffocated by the thick smog while the rest died from exhaustion after running for too long. None survived. _

'_Someone help me! Please!'_

_He saw the struggling woman, a Grasslander, lying beneath a tree not too far from where he was standing. She was holding a large bundle in her arms. It took him a moment to realize that that bundle was actually a child. 'Please, help me…' the woman pleaded again._

_He ran to her immediately. 'Are you alright?' he asked. He proceeded to check her for any signs of injury, but the woman's hand stopped him before he could do so._

'_Please….' The woman's voice was barely audible. He could even feel the pulse in her hand getting weaker. She was dying. 'Please…,' she said. 'Take my daughter somewhere safe…save my Lucretia…'_

'_M-mommy,' the child cried. 'N-no! I-I don't w-want to leave y-you alone!' The woman smiled sadly. The hand holding her daughter thudded to the ground, and she moved no more._

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

In Sol-Falena, the townspeople of this glorious city would often say that there was no other woman whose beauty could ever compete with those of Her Majesty Queen Arshtat and her sister, the Lady Sialeeds. However, that was before the mysterious rune mistress had arrived. Not long after her arrival, many men, young and old, would flock to the rune shop just so they could get a good glimpse of the goddess who always lounged at the counter during opening hours, much to the distress of the shop's vendor, for these men's intentions were a nuisance to his business. Sometimes he wondered if hiring the rune mistress had been a mistake after all.

The next day, however, all worries vanished when a young Queen's Knight entered his shop. Unknown to the overjoyed vendor, Jeanne, the rune mistress, had been expecting the young knight long before she had arrived in the city two days before. It was a matter of time.

"So we meet again, Lazlo," Jeanne said as she entered the front room of Sol-Falena's rune shop through the back door. The young man who had been talking to the vendor looked up. She gave a small chuckle when she saw his eyes widened in surprise at the stunning sight before him. _So he doesn't remember me after all_, she thought.

"Ah, mistress Jeanne!" the vendor said excitedly. "We have a very important customer. This is Sir Lazlo Adarshan, one of the Queen's Knights. He wishes to have a rune embedded."

At the mention of her name, the surprised expression in Lazlo's eyes immediately turned to shock. He turned pale, looking as though he was seeing a ghost. "You're—" his voice trailed off. Jeanne smiled sympathetically.

The vendor looked at the two. "Have you two met before?" he asked.

Without a word, Jeanne stepped forward and waved her staff in front of the vendor's face. Immediately, his face went blank and his body froze still. He stood there, looking perfectly like a statue.

"What did you do to him?" Lazlo demanded.

"A temporary freezing spell," Jeanne replied in a bored voice. "It will wear off sooner or later."

There was an awkward silence.

Lazlo spoke first. "Um, how should I say this?" He looked up at the ceiling, trying to get over the shock of seeing an old acquaintance again from his past. Once his mind cleared, his ocean-blue eyes bravely met her glowing emerald ones. "How—"

"--did I manage to live this long?" Jeanne continued for him. Her lips curled into a mysterious smile. "It's a secret. Sorry."

"I see…" Lazlo smiled weakly. "Well," he said with a heavy sigh, "you always were a mysterious case. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Silently, his right hand slid to his belt and he pulled out one of his swords without the slightest hesitation, placing the sharp edge dangerously near the beautiful rune mistress' neck.

Despite the danger she was in, Jeanne continued smiling. "You've changed," she said calmly. "You were so trusting before."

"Unless you can give me a good reason for trusting you, I'm afraid your life ends here." Lazlo's voice was eerily cold as he spoke. "Who are you? Or rather, what are you?"

"Do we really have to through this? My name is Jeanne. I am a rune mistress—"

"--or you might be an evil witch in disguise," Lazlo said, still aiming the edge of his sword at her neck. "Sorry, but I don't take chances. Prove to me you are who you claim to be and I'll lower down my sword."

Jeane sighed. "I knew this would happen," she said. "Very well, then. Let's start from the beginning of the story shall we?" She smiled once more. "Once upon a time, there was once a charming young man who approached a bored rune mistress in the island of Nal-Nal…"

* * *

The Queen's Knights gathered around the large round table in the guard room for today's meeting. Five chairs, however, were left unoccupied. Lazlo, Kyle and Alenia sat there in eerie silence as they waited for their commander, Ferid, and two other knights, Zahhak and Galleon, to arrive.

Kyle, unable to keep quiet any longer, was the first to break the silence. "Something's come up," he said. "They're never usually _this_ late."

"You're one to talk, Kyle," Alenia snapped at him. "Have you forgotten that it is you who always turn up five minutes late - an embarrassment to the Queen's Knights!"

Lazlo rolled his eyes and sighed. _Here we go again. _Though he hadn't known them for very long,every time he saw Kyle and Alenia together in the same room, they always seemed to be fighting. He shuddered at the idea of what it would be like if they were to live in the same house together. _It would be a disaster_, he thought.

"Hey, I'm early today, aren't I?" Kyle reminded the female knight. "Besides, those last meetings we had weren't that important."

"How dare you say such a thing! As a Queen's Knight, every single meeting you are required attend to is equally important. It is the absolute duty—" she stopped suddenly when Lazlo stood up from his seat. "They're here," he said, relieved.

A second later, the door opened and Ferid came in, accompanied by Zahhak. All three knights bowed respectfully to their commander as he entered. "Sorry, I'm late," Ferid said. The corners of his mouth were crinkled with smile lines. "I had to greet my son."

"Oh, no worries, commander," Kyle said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "While we were waiting for you, Alenia took the liberty of explaining some interesting things to us, didn't she, Lazlo?"

Lazlo opened his mouth, but then decided not to answer the question. "Never mind," he said.

Ferid chuckled and took his seat next to Kyle and Zahhak. "Alright then, let us begin the meeting." His face suddenly turned serious. "I'm afraid we've got trouble," he said. "It seems that New Armes is preparing for war."

Brief murmurs of disapproval erupted in the room almost immediately. Alenia was cursing something about 'barbarians' while Kyle and Zahhak argued about whether the news Ferid had announced to them was accurate or not. The murmurs, however, quickly subsided when the commander eventually raised his hand for silence. "That's enough," he commanded, and they all quieted down at once. As if on queue, the door swung open again and this time Galleon came in. He bowed politely to the commander, apologizing for his lateness before sitting on the vacant seat next to Alenia.

"Could it be possible they're planning to invade Falena?" Lazlo asked curiously once Ferid had finished telling Galleon the news.

It was Kyle who answered his question. "Well, we did defeat them in the last war," he reminded him. "I imagine they'd be thirsting for revenge right about now after all the humiliation we put them through."

"Humiliation they deserved," Alenia pointed out. Zahhak nodded agreement.

Lazlo frowned. "Even if that's true," he said slowly, "it takes more than just humiliation to start a war."

"Lazlo's right," Ferid said. "Ambassador Faldur who is currently stationed there has reported that the Darja Clan has been stirring trouble within the Grand Council of Chieftains. As for what kind of trouble they're causing, I have no idea."

"Do you think they have something to do with Armes preparing for war?"

The look Ferid gave him confirmed his suspicion. "You can count on that," he said.

The meeting went on for about half an hour before Ferid finally called for a break. Servants carrying food trays entered the room and served everyone cakes and wine. The commander, however, did not join the other knights and instead went to his office at the back, saying he needed to check up on some reports for a while. It was around that time when Lazlo felt the magical vibrations of a powerful force stirring somewhere nearby. A burning pain erupted in his left hand for a fleeting instant; causing him to drop the fork he had been holding as he tried to cover up the pain with his other hand.

"What is the matter with your hand?" Galleon asked when Lazlo stood up from his seat.

"Nothing," he said. The pain had already disappeared, but the memory of it still etched in the vaults of his mind. "I need to talk to the commander."

He found Ferid reading a parchment when he entered his office. "What's the matter, Lazlo?" he asked, startled at the sudden entry.

Not wanting anyone else to hear him, Lazlo closed the door behind him. "There's no time to explain," he said quickly. "The Queen is about to use the Sun Rune."

Ferid's expression grew tense, even wary. "How—"

"There's not much time left! You must go to her now!"

Ferid hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and ran from the room, bursting through the door to the passageway that linked his office to the audience room. Lazlo followed after him.

"How do you she's about to use her rune?" Ferid asked suspiciously as they ran.

"She's using it now."

"What?!"

"But only to a minimum extent," Lazlo explained hastily, not wanting to make the older man anymore worried than he already was. "She's really angry, though," he added quietly.

Ferid said nothing, but the worry in his eyes spoke volumes.

At the end they found the door to the audience room. Ferid pulled open the door carefully without making a creak. They saw Queen Arshtat standing a few feet away from her throne, her back facing them.

"W-with all due respect, Your Majesty," they heard a young girl said. "You have every right to be angry, but in Lordlake, the damage extends to the women, children and the elderly! People who had nothing to do with the uprising!"

"Yes, Mother! That's right!" a young male voice spoke out. This had to be Prince Freyjadour, Lazlo thought. He had seen the young prince out in the city often. He was never far from his loyal bodyguard, Lyon, who always followed him everywhere.

"Silence!" Arshtat commanded, clearly enraged. "You DARE tell me I was wrong?!"

"Stay here," Ferid told Lazlo. Slowly and quietly, he walked toward the maddened queen.

"I do not MAKE mistakes!" Queen Arshtat was screaming. "The Sun Rune always lends its divine protection to the just! My path is the path of righteousness! My will is the will of heaven! To defy me is to defy the sun!"

"Your Majesty!" The sound of Ferid's voice shattered the queen's trance, and she turned around to look at him, her face dazed. "Oh…Ferid…?" she said weakly. Lazlo sighed in relief as he hid against the wall of the passageway from the queen's view. The worst was over, at least for now.

"Your Majesty," Ferid said soothingly to his wife, "everyone is tired from their long journey. Perhaps we should adjourn for now and let them rest."

"Oh…Yes," Arshtat agreed, her voice weak. "I suppose you're right." She turned to face the people she had been speaking with before Ferid's interruption. "I will…hear the rest of your report later," she told them. "For now, you may go and get some rest."

As he escorted his exhausted wife to her chamber through the red-curtained entrance at the back of the audience room, Ferid looked at Lazlo over his shoulder and moved his mouth as if to say something. "Go back," was all he said. Lazlo nodded, turning around and heading back to the guard room.

* * *

"His Commandership?" Galleon whispered quietly to his ear after he returned. "I don't mean to pry, but I thought heard running footsteps in the office a while ago."

"That was the commander - he went to speak with the queen," Lazlo replied. A slight movement caught the corner of his eye, and he saw a dark-haired man wearing the official Queen's Knight's attire standing in the corner of the guard room. His eyes widened as realization hit him the moment he saw the man's eye-patch. "Deathblow George?" he asked.

The stranger smiled. "The one and only," he said. "Pleased to meet you, Lazlo." He offered a hand.

Lazlo shook it. "I would say the same to you," he said. "Kyle and Galleon told me a lot of great things about you."

George laughed. "Did they now?" He gave mischievous glances at Galleon and Kyle, who both looked rather embarrassed with themselves. "Well, from what I've heard from Ferid, you seem to be a fine warrior yourself. You're nineteen, right?" Lazlo nodded. "Hmm, a little too young to be a Queen's Knight, don't you think?"

"Don't underestimate him, George," Kyle told him. "I got my butt kicked after his knighting ceremony, you know." He turned to Lazlo. "By the way, I still haven't forgiven you for that. Sooner or later, I'll have my revenge."

Lazlo nodded, smiling. "I'll be looking forward to it."

The discussion about the events of his knighting ceremony dragged on after that. As Kyle told George of their miraculous battle at the ceremony, Lazlo couldn't help but notice the amount of attention the dark-haired knight paid as he listened to the blonde knight's story. It was almost as if he was studying his battle stances and techniques through his imagination instead of actually seeing them for himself.

"—and that's about it," Kyle was saying, his expression suddenly gloomy. "I had to pay 1000 potch to have my sword repaired after the whole fiasco."

"Sorry about that," Lazlo said apologetically.

"Whatever." Kyle shrugged. "Hey, I'm heading to the royal kitchens," he whispered, casting quick glances at Alenia and Zahhak to make sure they couldn't hear. "Want anything?"

"No thanks."

"Cheesecake, George?"

The dark-haired knight shook his head. "Nah, I already ate in the ship."

"Alright then, see you later," Kyle said, and quickly left the room.

"Where is he going?!" Alenia exclaimed. "Kyle, come back here!" But the door had already closed behind him. "That idiot!" She turned to Lazlo and strode towards him. "Why didn't you stop him?!"

Lazlo blinked, looking innocent. "Even if I did, he wouldn't listen anyway." Alenia continued to glare at him, but the look he returned remained the same, as if daring her to make a scene in front of everyone. Finally, she gave up and joined Galleon and Zahhak, but not without casting one last angry look at him beforehand. _That woman is definitely out of her head_, he thought.

"You did well," George congratulated him, his voice a soft whisper. "Most people tend to do the opposite of what you did whenever she's that way."

"I've handled worse," Lazlo whispered back. That was true. To him, Alenia was a baby compared to Zerase. _I doubt there's anyone in this world whose temper is scarier than hers_, he thought.

_---I heard that_, a cold female voice said.

He almost jumped. ---_Zerase?! When did you— _

_--- Silence! _Lazlo did just that. _I don't have time to answer your petty questions. _There was a momentary pause. _Well? Have you met her yet?_

_---Who? _

_---Jeane! _

_---Ah, yes! This morning actually….wait …you know her?! _

_---What did she say? _Zerase asked. There was a hint of urgency in her voice.

_---Um, she said that until the time comes, she'll be observing the situation for the time being, whatever that means._

_---Is that all?_

_---There's more. You probably won't like this, but I'll say it anyway. _He paused for a moment. _She said she will no have no participation whatsoever in whatever we're doing. She has other interests to take care of…_

There was no answer.

_---Zerase? Are you there?_

_---Other interests, you say?_

_---Her words, not mine._

_---Very well, then. I'll contact you again later when the time comes. For now, do what you have to do and __**don't mess up**__._

_--Easy for you to say_, Lazlo thought as the connection broke off. He sighed.

"You okay, Lazlo?" George asked him. "You looked like you were concentrating on something."

Before he could say anything, the door opened and a silver-haired young man and a black-haired girl entered the guard room followed by Kyle.

"Ah, His Royal Highness," Zahhak said. Both he and Alenia bowed.

"Hey!" George greeted, waving his hand.

"Hi, George," the prince said cheerfully. His smile fell when his eyes met Lazlo's. The young Queen's Knight couldn't help but smile sympathetically. This was, after all, the first time they've met face to face. It was only natural that the young prince would be surprised.

"Huh?" Kyle was looking around room. "Where's His Majesty Ferid?"

"He went out through the back," Zahhak replied "He's a busy man, you know." It seemed Galleon had told him what happened, Lazlo concluded.

"Never mind that, Kyle!" Alenia said, hotly. "Where have you been?!"

"Me?" Kyle pointed a finger at himself. "Heh, nowhere. Just wanted to see the prince, that's all." That was a poor lie, but it was obvious he said it on purpose.

"That's ALL?!" Alenia's eyes were almost bulging. "Do you ALWAYS take your duties so lightly?!"

Fortunately, Galleon stepped up just in time to stop the quarrel from going overboard. "Your Royal Highness," he said, bowing low. "Sir, you must be exhausted after your inspection in Lordlake." He straightened himself. "Actually, I should have accompanied you on your trip, but His Majesty didn't give me the order…"

"Of course he didn't." Everyone looked at George. "After all, Lordlake is your hometown, isn't it Galleon?" the dark-haired knight asked, then shook his head. "Ferid wouldn't make you go there. The guy's not heartless, you know."

"Yes, but I have already been there once. His Majesty needn't protect me."

"But, Galleon," the black-haired girl said, her face a mixture of concern and sadness, "I don't see how you could EVER come to terms with it!"

"It's been two years," Kyle said after her, shaking his head disapprovingly, "but the Queen STILL won't even let them rebuild! Man, talk about heartless—"

"Hold your tongue, Kyle!" Alenia hissed, eyes flashing with anger. "Her Majesty imposed a suitable punishment on those traitors, plain and simple! She did what a Queen has to do! And we, the Queen's Knights, have NO business second-guessing her!"

"That's what you say, Alenia, but—"

"Silence, Kyle," Galleon told him, his voice stern. "No matter the circumstances, the fact remains that the people of Lordlake committed treason." A look of sadness clouded his face, and he added quietly, "They must serve their penance."

Kyle stared at Galleon, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, guys, but I think the Queen went way too far—"

"Kyle, how dare you disrespect our Queen?!" Alenia shouted, her voice rising. "The Sun Rune is proof enough that this nation and Her Majesty have heaven's divine blessing!"

Lazlo smirked at her last sentence. "Heaven's divine blessing, huh?" he mused, and glanced down at his left hand.

"It's only natural the Rune's judgment would come down to anyone who defy Her Majesty's authority! If you ask me, I don't think Her Majesty has used her Rune enough!"

"Yeah right!" Kyled rolled his eyes. "You're starting to sound just like Lord Godwin," he said accusingly. "And on that note, I don't know if I can trust a Knight who's merely a pawn of the Godwin's family."

That did it. All the deep feelings of hatred toward Kyle that had been boiling inside the sharp-tongued Queen's Knight up until now suddenly burst. "Insolent fool!" she almost screamed. "You're one to talk, seeing how you're just a mouthpiece of the Barrows family!"

"Ridiculous! You don't know what the hell you're saying!"

"That will be enough!" Zahhak shouted.

Silence fell once more.

"Do you realize how disgracefully you're acting in front of His Royal Highness?" As he said that, all eyes turned to stare at the prince and the black-haired girl, whose faces were pale with shock at the heated argument that had been taken place before them a while ago. "We are terribly sorry, Your Highness," Zahhak said, and both he and Alenia bowed apologetically to him.

"No, that's alright," the prince said rather nervously, although it was clear that there was relief in his eyes now that the fighting had stopped.

Zahhak nodded. "We should be protecting the royal family, not getting involved in private quarrels that might affect our duties." He gave a stern look at Aleania, then finally to Kyle. "Especially you, Kyle," he told blonde knight.

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you. Your manner of speaking sounds like criticism to Her Majesty. You should restrain yourself a little."

"That's all right, Zahhak," a hoarse voice, very commanding in particular, said suddenly. Lazlo and George had been the only ones who noticed Ferid coming in through the back. Everyone else turned their heads in surprise at the Commander. "Please, everybody, continue!" he said.

"Your Commanderhip!" Everyone in the room bowed.

"Hmph," Ferid said, "don't mind me. As you were."

"As you all know, Her Majesty has been troubled since the split between the two factions of the Senate. The Godwin faction has been gaining more and more powerful recently, which has caused her Her Majesty much anguish. At a time like this, Her Majesty wants true loyalty from us, the Queen's Knights."

Lazlo stared at Ferid in awe as the commander continued on with his speech. Here was a man of true leadership: full of glory, pride, honor, courage and righteousness. He was an idealist, but not the sort who do anything to the point of sacrifice just so he could get what he wants. His mind and heard were too shrewd to let corruption of power take over him, unlike many others Lazlo knew, casting a glance at Alenia.

"Now, if there are constructive opinions you'd like to share with Her Majesty, I'll be happy to pass them on for you." Ferid looked at everyone, his eyes gleaming. "Understood?"

"Yes, sire!" the Queen's Knights said in unison, and they saluted.

"Frey, Lyon," Ferid said gently, looking at the two youngsters. "When you have thoughts and ideas of your own, please don't be shy about sharing them with us. The Queen's Knights are known for their artistry with a blade, but they also have much wisdom and insight to impart. Be wise and heed their words."

"Yes, sire!"

"Yes, father!"

Ferid nodded, and then drew himself up. "Now, I shall be taking my leave," he said. "Everyone, you're all dismissed. You can now do as they please." After that, he went back to his office.

"Nice speech," Lazlo commented.

George nodded. "He always had a way with words. I'm not surprised."

"How long have you known him?"

"We go a long way back."

"Um, excuse me." The silver-haired prince of Falena, Freyjadour, smiled almost shyly. "Pleased to meet you. My name's Frey."

Lazlo bowed politely. "Lazlo Adarshan. I'm glad I have the chance to finally meet you, Your Highness."

Frey nodded. "This is Lyon," he introduced the black-haired girl, who bowed politely. "Hello," she said shyly.

As soon as they had finished introducing one another, Lazlo felt at ease. Prince Frey and Lyon's shyness evaporated rather quickly, and they now talked to Lazlo as if he was their friend already. Formality was forgotten, and sounds of laughter followed their discussions, especially when Kyle joined the group.

Suddenly, without warning at all, the door to the guard room burst open, and princess Lymsleia stormed in. "Hey, has anybody seen my brother in here?!" she shouted, her large brown-eyes wild.

"Princess…" Lyon began.

Then her eyes fell on Frey. With a cry of delight, the princess leaped at him. "Oh, brother! Brother! Brother! Brother!" she said as she hugged her brother tightly.

"Yikes!" Kyle exclaimed, shaking his head and staring at the scene in front of him. "Quite a welcome there…"

Lyon looked as though she was trying her best not to laugh. "Gee, the princess sure is crazy about her big brother, huh?" At that, Lazlo covered a chuckle with his hand.

Once he got over the surprise of almost being knocked down by his ten-year old sister, Frey embraced Lymsleia gently, much to the princess' delight.

"I'm home, Lym…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**As many of you who played Suiko V have noticed, one-third of the diologue I have written in the story were from actual game. This was intended for those who haven't played Suiko V, yet. I do not own Suikoden. Period.**

**Thank you to all those who have read this story and gave reviews. I really appreaciate it. See you all next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 3

At the docks in Sol-Falena, a smiling Lymsleia was waving at the cheering crowd around her. Walking elegantly beside her was her mother. As usual, Queen Arshtat was looking breathtakingly beautiful and refined under the morning sun. Her extravagant silver hair shone under the sunlight and her proud face gave away a sense of glory and wisdom. Lymsleia could easily pick out more than a handful of men in the crowd who looked smitten at the glorious sight of the Queen of Falena.

_Only too bad for them_, Lymsleia thought mischievously,_ because mother is already married to father. If anyone deserves to be together it's them. _

At the end of the path ahead she could see the anchored ship that would take them to Stormfist. When they reached there, Ferid greeted his beloved wife and daughter with a polite nod while the Queen's Knights (Miakis included) saluted their greetings at the side of the dock. Once the greetings were done, both Queen and Crown Princess turned to face the cheering crowd.

The crowd's cheering quieted down when Ferid raised his hand for silence. "Everyone," he said in a booming voice, "I thank you all for coming here today.

"As you all know, today is the day we depart from Sol-Falena to Stormfist for the awaiting Sacred Games. Our beloved Crown Princess, Lymsleia Falenas, will now take her first step in the road to becoming the next Queen of Falena."

Lymsleia flushed when Ferid said her name, but bravely kept her head raised. At the corner of her eye, she saw Miakis smiling at her encouragingly.

After Ferid had finished the rest of his speech, he joined his family and climbed aboard the ship together. The Queen's Knights - Miakis, Lazlo, Alenia and Galleon - soon followed after them. Only Kyle and Zahhak had remained behind. They, along with the Royal Guards, saluted their good-byes while the crowd cheered their blessings as the ship started to sail away toward its destination.

Ten agonizing hours later…

"I'm seriously going die of boredom soon if this ship doesn't go any faster…" Lymsleia moaned for the tenth time as she lied on her bed inside the royal cabin. Many books – all of them specifically chosen for the sake of entertainment – were scattered about around her. She had finished reading them all and was now at a loss for what to do.

"Are you sure you didn't skip through the pages, Princess?" Miakis asked, picking up a rather thick book called _The Little White Rabbit and Other Stories_ and began reading it. Her face blanched after reading the first paragraph, then clamped the book shut. "Booorrriiing."

"You think?!" Lymsleia rolled her eyes and went to look at the window. It was dark outside, but she was still able to get a glimpse of the outline of the moving landscape. She looked up, and saw that there were many stars twinkling in the night sky. She then decided what she was going to do. "Miakis," she said.

"Hmm?"

"Let's go outside. I want to see the stars."

OoOoOoO

"I wish brother was here." Lymsleia's large brown eyes gazed in wonder at the night sky's large assembly of stars from where she was standing at the deck of the ship. "You can see a lot of stars every night nowadays. I wonder why?"

Miakis shrugged. "Who knows? But they are certainly beautiful, though."

If Lymsleia wasn't so busy gazing at the stars, she would have seen Miakis turning her head to look at something. "Looks like you're not the only one who's interested in star-gazing, Princess," her bodyguard said, pointing a finger upwards. "Look."

Lymsleia turned to look at the direction Miakis was pointing at and saw the recently recruited Queen's Knight Lazlo lounging on the crow's nest high above the ship. He was gazing up at the stars. _But why up there?_ the princess wondered.

"Hey, Lazlo!" Miakis called out to him. "What are you doing up there?"

Lazlo looked down at them, and for a split-second Lymsleia felt a wintry chill went down her spine. _Whoa_, she thought, _what on earth was that?_ She looked at Miakis and saw that the purple-haired knight's smile had faltered, then faded.

"Your Highness?" Lymsleia looked up again. Lazlo was staring down at them, a puzzled expression present in his face. Then, looking as though he had suddenly remembered something, he bowed politely. "Please wait there a moment. I'll be right down." He grabbed a nearby rope, climbed down the mast and then jumped, his feet landing gracefully onto the floor of the deck. "Can I help you with something?" he asked as he approached them.

Miakis regained her composure. "No," she said with a smile, "we were just wondering why you were up there. It wasn't anything urgent. Sorry for bothering you."

"No, not at all." Lazlo smiled tiredly. "I should thank you. If you hadn't called I would've stayed up there for hours without realizing it."

"Is star-gazing a hobby of yours?" Lymsleia asked shyly. Sometimes she couldn't help feeling nervous around the young knight. His manners were both kind and polite, but his eyes told her that there was more to him than meets the eye. Strangely, they reminded her of the eyes of wise old men who had experienced many things – both wonderful and sad. At least that's what she thought.

Lazlo smiled at the question. "You could say that," he said, and then stared up at the night sky. "You know, legends say that stars sometimes tell you things," he said.

"Like what?" Miakis asked.

"The future for one thing."

Lymsleia laughed nervously. "Don't be silly," she said. "Stars can't tell you the future. That's just a fairy-tale."

"Perhaps." Lazlo continued to stare up at the night sky. "See that bright star over there?" He pointed. "That's called the Tenkai Star."

Sure enough, the star Lazlo was pointing at was shining brightly than most of the others. Next to it was another star though not as big, but shining brightly still. "Tenkai Star? What's that?" Lymsleia asked curiously.

"It's one of the 108 Stars of Destiny," Lazlo answered. "It is said that if all 108 of them are gathered, a great change shall occur. The one next to the Tenkai Star over there is called the Tenei Star."

Lymsleia was getting more and more interested by the second. "You said if all of them are gathered, there will be a great change, right? What kind of change?"

She saw Lazlo's eyes boring down on her. "What else? The change of Destiny, of course."

"Huh?" Lymsleia gave him a puzzled look. "I don't understand."

"I don't either." Lazlo chuckled when Lymsleia groaned at his answer. "However, the gathering of all 108 Stars of Destiny doesn't necessarily mean that the great change will occur. It takes sheer willpower, strong determination and unbreakable faith to be able to make that kind of change."

Sheer willpower? Strong determination? Unbreakable faith? Lymsleia's head spun with confusion. Since when do stars have those kinds of qualities?

Lazlo saw the confused expression in her face and quickly said, "I know this is all very confusing to you. This is a legend after all. So don't think too much about it."

"Do you believe in this legend, Lazlo?" Miakis asked.

Lazlo's mouth curled into a mysterious smile. "I believe what I see, Miakis." Lymsleia noticed he didn't use the pre-fix 'Lady' when talking to Miakis. She had no doubt her father had convinced him to drop the formalities and talk normally toward the other Queen's Knights now that he's one of them.

"Oh? What about things you don't see, then?"

"Maybe." Lazlo shrugged. "There are many mysteries in this world that have yet to be discovered. Some of them happen to be secrets that only very few people know and understand. That's why they are called legends."

"So in other words," Miakis said slowly, "you believe in legends, right?"

"Not necessarily."

"Ugh." Miakis spread her hands helplessly. "There's no getting a solid answer from you, isn't there? You're a terribly crafty person, you know that? It's like seeing another side of you that I never knew you had." She crossed her arms against her chest and pouted.

_Who's the spoilsport now? _Lymsleia thought gleefully. This was probably the first time she saw Miakis being played around by another person other than her father. Lazlo was definitely a 'crafty' person indeed. Now that she thought about it, she was seeing a whole new side of him that she never saw before. Sure she had known him for only a short while, having met him a few times in the last couple of weeks since he'd been knighted, but still…

"Your Highness!" she heard a voice called. She groaned. The voice belonged to the head maid Lea, who also happened to be fussy and very strict. "It's time for you to go to bed!"

She sighed. "Well," she said a bit mournfully, "I guess that's it. Let's go, Miakis." She turned around and walked away, then stopped at her tracks. She looked back at Lazlo.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Goodnight." She waved her hand, though she felt awkward doing it.

Lazlo smiled gratefully. "You too, Your Highness." He then looked at Miakis. "Sleep well, both of you." When both princess and bodyguard were gone, he looked up at the night sky once more.

_So this is what Zerase meant by 'look up at the night sky'…, _he thought. _There's going to be a great war soon. _He shook his head, andhis thoughts then drifted to a more important matter that came to mind. _No good…_, he informed himself, and touched his forehead. _I'm starting to lose myself again…If this keeps on, then… _

OoOoOoO

"So many stars…"

Queen Arshtat looked up from the parchment she was reading as she sat there on the side of the bed she shared with her husband inside their royal cabin. She was wearing a deep blue silk night-gown. Her silver hair had been undone and now flowed gracefully along her back. "Did you say something, Ferid?" she asked.

Ferid was looking out the window near the canopied bed. His eyes were wide with awe. "There are so many stars..." he said. "Come take a look, dear."

Arshtat gently laid the parchment down on the small table next to the bed and joined her husband. "You're right," she said. "They're very beautiful."

"Though none of them are as beautiful as you, my queen," Ferid told her. Arshtat chuckled and gave him a playful punch on the shoulders. "Ow," he said in a very fake hurtful voice, "why'd you do that for?"

"No reason." She smiled a girlish grin. "I just felt like it."

A pair of strong big arms embraced her. "You know," Ferid said with a gentle tone, "that punch reminds of our first night together. Let's see, I was making a few cheesy jokes about the wedding, and you were fussing with your hair. I babbled something about the cake being too sweet for my taste and then you told me to shut up and stop complaining."

"Yes," Arshtat said crisply, "I remember that part _very clearly_."

"And after I ignored you and babbled on some more, you threw your hairbrush at me and threatened to throw me into the dungeons. Scared out of my wits, I made a series of extremely gushy and flattering comments about you to make peace and then you punched me right in the face."

"I had a lot of fun that time, dear," Arshtat said. She laughed suddenly. "Ferid, I do love you," she said, and buried her face to his neck.

"Me too," Ferid answered, gently tightening his embrace on her.

"Once we have our very own grandchildren, do you think Frey and Lym will let us name them? I'd very much like to name one of them after you. He'll be called Ferid the Second. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Yes I think so too. And I think we should name one of our granddaughters Arshtat the Second while we're at it…" As he said that, a feeling of dread rushed through his veins when he thought of the upcoming battles waiting in the future ahead. He had no doubt Arshtat felt this way too. But he pushed the feeling away, not wanting to ruin the moment. "Hmm, does the name Kika sound good to you? What about Flare?"

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**Messages from the author:**

**Thank you for all the reviews! They were all very encouraging when I wrote this chapter. This chapter is mostly focused on the growing bonds between the characters, which will be very important in the later chapters coming up. Seriously, I think Arshtat and Ferid are a very sweet couple, don't you? I wanted to explore their relationship further then the one shown in the games so…Heheheh…**


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